The elephant concentrated on the back of the car, so both passengers escaped relatively unharmed. Sarah Brooks was stabbed in the thigh by the elephant's tusk. She and her fiancé were both briefly hospitalized and released. But the park's general manager, William Mabasa, said the elephant's behavior was too aggressive, suggesting it was "on musth," a cyclic condition where testosterone levels rise.

"It could have engaged in a fight with other bulls where it was eventually expelled, and when an elephant is in that state it will be very aggressive and I think that's the reason why we had a case like this one," he said.

According to the manager, there have been two similar occurrences in the last four years.